congratulations...i saw sense...in case you never noticed the "i'll do Grade 6" posts

Not bad, we're getting there now, all that remains is for us to convince you to play some other pieces before you start grade 6 and we've got it cracked !

(and perhaps the definition of perfect could do with some more work too ).

well i already have one Grade 6 piece under my belt and thats the Chopin Prelude in B minor, 1 of the first pieces i ever learnt and im not too shabby at scales arpeggios and diminished 7ths, PLUS!!! im pretty good at sightreading (i've never come across anyone that could sightread the Chopin Polonaises)

It's ALL yours

say what?

what




Sorry, I said I was staying out of this thread....

please...have your say

I did; I have nothing to add.

Having just read through 3 pages of this thread, I was picking up hope until I hit this. The first piece you ever learnt was a Grade 6 piece?!? The first piece I learnt was called Big Bear or something similar. It had one note. That note was middle C. It had 3 bars of 4/4 time consisting of crotchets. The last bar had 2 crotchets and a minim to finish. And I still got the rhythm wrong first time. So once again, I'm skeptical of it being the VERY first piece you learnt.

Secondly, the phrase "under my belt" made me groan. Clearly, examiners disagree with your definition (but, of course, you don't exam well, which makes me wonder why you even bother with exams and don't just play for pleasure) so maybe, just maybe, you should try seeking judgement outside of your piano teacher, your music teacher and your 20 non-pianist friends.

Again, looking back at Grade 5 results, your scales do need some work if you want to get a good pass so I wouldn't get too confident.

And finally, the sight-reading. Although I doubt I could sightread the Chopin Polonaises, there are certainly people who can, even if you haven't met them. Though your Grade 5 mark for this was reasonable, so maybe you will manage this bit.

(Curiously, it was halfway through typing this I began to entertain the thought you were actually a 53-year old man with a beer belly sitting half-naked in front of the computer. But enough of my fantasies... )

i said ONE of the first pieces, i learnt a few others before i got onto that, strangely enough, one of them was the A major Prelude by Chopin in the original form, another was the FIRST i repeat FIRST section of the Fur Elise, and a couple of short pieces by Diabelli... i did also attempt the opening Grave of the Beethoven Pathetique Sonata, but soon realised the extreme difficulty for such an unexperienced pianist and quickly gave it up in favour for a Clementi Sonatina

well yes i havent come across anyone YET! im sure theres plenty others who can sightread the polonaises (yes...ive sightread the heroic also)

yes my scales do need fine tuning i have to admit...i ALWAYS get scales like G major wrong, but get the likes of B flat minor right...that perplexes me :S oh well

I don't think many of us here really give a monkeys what you do. You have a very inflated opinion of your abilities and I'm beginning to think you are making some of this up. There is no way someone who gets 23 23 24 for grade 5 exam pieces could possibly play the grade 8+ pieces you mention. As for the other sections of the exam, they weren't exactly brilliant either. It would be a better idea to improve your work at grade 5 standard before going any further. But hey, what do I know, I'm only an experienced piano teacher whose grade 5 students last term got between 124 and 133 having worked on the exam for 6 months. As for sight reading polonaises (including the heroic) I find that hard to believe considering you only managed 17 for grade 5 sight reading - in the opinion of an examiner - a professional musician. Forget about the opinions of your 20 non pianist friends, get a valuable opinion from someone who actually knows something about music.

I think the problem is that he has one but won't believe it! The examiner thinks that you're just about good enough for grade 5.


I'd agree with that wholeheartedly; the problem is that there's a big difference, certainly in this case, between being able to play it and thinking one is able to play it!

Noodle, what could i possibly be making up anyway? sightreading i've always been pretty good at and i KNOW i really messed my sightreading up in the exam. now of course something like the chopin Polonaises arent going to sound terribly good when sightreading but damnit, i know i've been able to make it sound alright.

and have you two not read what ive posted earlier...im doing Grade 6

The examiner, whose opinion you perpetually make excuses for and/or ignore: it was nerves, I messed some scales up, I messed the sight reading up but I can do Chopin Polonaises so I don't care, ....

The examiner is the most qualified person ever to have listened to your playing - irrespective of how talented your piano teacher, music teachers or friends may be they don't have the experience and training of an ABRSM examiner.

Yes - and a big difference between "can get fingers round the notes" and "can actually play it with some sort of artistry and skill".

GCBS - you asked where you can get an opinion. You just got one - your examiner's opinion. So don't ignore it...

Yes I have read it, but I also read somewhere that you practiced the clarinet for 6 hours a day only to pass grade 1. I didn't practice for 6 hours a day in total when I was working for grade 8 in three instruments.



Its not AP and I need a bubble bursting here. You have just done grade 5 and the examiner thought you were just good enough to pass that, I can only assume you are playing grade 8 pieces to about grade 5 standard.

What were the examiner's comments? (Or have I missed them somewhere in the past 12 pages?) The whole reason for the comments is to tell you what was good, and what could do with more work - they aim to be constructive and helpful with their comments, so it will give you an idea of how to improve for the next exam, and which areas of your playing need more work generally. I'm glad you've decided to go for grade 6, as if you get nervous and feel you don't examine well, it's best to do as much exam practice as possible before doing grade 8 so maybe it's an idea to do both 6 and 7 to get the experience in before carrying on.

The key part of that sentence is I know I can: first of all that's you think you can and secondly an ABRSM examiner knows that you can't play grade 5 pieces anywhere near perfectly, and not much more than simply hitting the right notes in the right order at somewere approximating the right speed.

I'll spell it out for you: the following is what a professional music examiner who knows a heck of a lot more about music than you do thinks your playing lacks (given you got 24 on your pieces):

Technical fluency
Confident sense of performance and tonal control
Sensitivity to musical detail and mood
A musically convincing tempo

He also by just giving you 24 feels that your playing lacks most of this too (and by giving you 23 does feel your playing lacks all of this):

Attention to dynamics and phrasing
Evidence of tonal awareness and control
A suitable, sustained tempo
Sense of the character of the piece
Good sense of rhythm

What I am trying to say is that you think that you can play grade 8 level pieces; but trust me I'm certain you can't: survive them maybe; play them no way! Not only do you need to realise that you shouldn't skip more exams (which I think you have realised); you need to appreciate that you're not actually anywhere near as good at playing the piano as you think you are! All the things that your playing is missing are things that you need some skill to appreciate that they are missing; you understand the right notes in the right order, but it would seem little else. Gaining this understanding is the first part of becoming good at playing the piano; you need to realise why it's difficult before you can become good at it: you haven't even got that far yet....

He got ...
Piece 1 (Rondo from Sonatina in E) 24/30
Piece 2 (La Tarentelle) 23/30
Piece 3 (New Orleans Nightfall) 23/30
Scales 14/21
Sight reading 17/21
Aural 10/18
Chocolatedog,

I agree. My only Grade 5 student this year got 113, and YET I'm very doubtful she can do well for Grade 6 as her pieces are more or less having the same marks as yours and most likely have the same technical difficulties. She did the exact same 3 pieces as you. What more Grade 8?? That's commiting musical suicide.. you'll be far more nervous playing those pieces in the exam because they are more demanding!

Well said AP. Whats the point of playing, sorry MURDERING grade 8 pieces at grade 5 standard?

This is from the booklet, "These music exams" by the way, GCBS.
http://www.abrsm.org/resources/theseMusicExams.pdf

Please note that the things which were few and far between in your higher scoring pieces and lacking in your lower scoring pieces are actually required FOR A PASS MARK at grade 6-8....

"Evidence of musical awareness, eg appropriate dynamics, phrasing, articulation"

That's to get 20-23 at grades 6-8

ie, if you played grade 8 pieces to the same standard you played your grade 5 pieces, you may not even pass those 3 sections of the exam.

well i havent seen the examiners comments YET. otherwise this thread probably wouldnt have started...

i've read all the advice...im taking it as we speak i.e. going over Grade 5/6 material...NOW CAN YOU PLEASE GET OFF MY BACK?!

thank you all

Well done!

why thanks

Sorry my reply was late because I was on holiday!

thats quite alright, i already got a huge bashing from this...so no worries

I have just read this thread from the beginning. There has been some excellent advice given here but obviously what you do next will depend on your teacher. You tell us the pieces you are practising, but not once have you mentioned exercises. technique is very important and may well be the problem with your playing. Ever use Hanon, Czerny, Dohnani?




Given that the average mark for practical exams is 116 these marks are consistently below average. I really don't believe that anyone could only get 112 in ANY grade 1 exam having practiced for 6 hours a day. Neither do I believe that 8 months preparing for grade 5 piano for 2 hours a day got you 111. It seems to me as I've already said you seem to have an over-inflated opinion of your abilities, what constitutes good teaching and playing pieces 'perfectly'. Either that or you have no idea of how to practice properly. Whether you like it or not, all the examiners can't be wrong. Just because you are entitled to free lessons doesn't actually mean they are with a good teacher. Have you ever heard the saying 'you get what you pay for'?

Finally, there are now 13 pages of posts for this thread. There are 181 posts of which 77 are yours. On 9 occasions you posted 2 posts consecutively, twice you had three consecutive posts and once there were 4 of your posts in succession, most of them within 5 - 6 minutes. Do you really expect me to believe you are not doing that just to boost your post count as well as practice your clarinet for 6 hours at grade 1.....

as ive said, i got better things to do than boost my post count, and ive also said that i dont really play the clarinet that much anymore (not sure where but i know i have said it somewhere)

i also believe that i have mentioned playing Burgmuller Op.100 (like one of the pieces that i did for my exam)

i have also said i tend to forget things in replies so hence, add what i forgot to say on a post...is that a crime?

Not by law, but it's better just to use the edit button.

For some reason i keep getting a picture in my head of trolls jumping all over the forums when I read the 13 pages of this thread. Or am I hallucinating? .I think a lot of people have expended a great deal of energy on coherent & sane replies but I think the efforts are in vain. I mean why does GCBS keep posting consecutively if not to try & provoke a reaction?? Or maybe his shortterm memory really is that bad.

ive explained already...read the thread if it wasnt so late i'd be practising piano right about now

so please just back down...ive had enough at people harping on at me

I'd just like to say that this is the 3rd longest thread EVER on the Viva Piano Forums.

Hooray?

how did i ever cause such a riot?!

I'm so confused

basically i stated what i got in Grade 5 Piano (see 1st post) and it caused all this...you REALLY dont want to know

Come on, just another 72 posts and this thread will hold the record

oh dear lord...am i going to get 32579843275 lectures of the likes of Sarah_flute anotherpianist yetanotherpianist etc ????

Is that some passing tumbleweed I see?

who knows...but i do like to thank you for your quote which is in my signature

Don't be too thankful. In context, what I meant was stay on the topic of the thread, because at the time every thread you posted in was going off topic. All criticisms should be confined here, in my opinion.

criticism is the light way to describe this thread

or the forums!

i cant say anything here without being criticised

Then why are you still here if you don't like it?

oh stop itttt! that's so mean let gonechopin do what he wants to do, it's his choice, he was clearly just saying that he was happy he'd passed, and never wanted all this!!!

honestly, people these days...

Well, good musicians have to be critical. And there are a lot of good musicians here...

To be a good musician, you also have to learn to listen to constructive criticism and put what you have learned to good use.

There's also a big difference between straight criticism and good, well meant advice. Oh well...